


In Which Rumpelstiltskin Receives Help From An Unexpected Source

by woodelf



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23088745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodelf/pseuds/woodelf
Summary: Cast out across the town line, Rumpelstiltskin receives the aid of a friendly woodland creature. Because there's nothing like adding a little crack to canon. Based off the end of 4x11.
Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	In Which Rumpelstiltskin Receives Help From An Unexpected Source

**Author's Note:**

> The Rumbelle Deer was a tumblr thing; all you need to know is that they shipped Rumbelle.

Rumpelstiltskin didn’t know how long he stayed on the ground, numb with shock. Why subject himself to the agony of trying to stand unaided, let alone try to hobble anywhere? He needed a staff, but the nearest trees where he might hope to find a fallen branch strong enough to lean on looked impossibly far away. And what was the point anyway? All his life he had spent trying to get to someplace where he could be with his family. To another world where he and his father could start a fresh life, home from the war so he could be a father to his own son. Again, to another world when he had panicked and let Bae go through the magic portal alone. And last, he had wanted to leave Storybrooke so he could live someplace in peace and safety with Belle, away from all the dangers that continually found their way to their little hidden town. Every fibre of who he was fought against the idea of heading away from Storybrooke without her. 

He had screwed up, had known, deep inside himself, that he had been screwing up all along but had been unable to stop himself, driven by the need to find a way to free himself from the dagger’s control. And now this. His mind refused to wrap itself around the fact that she had banished him. He sat there, the tears gradually drying on his face, hugging his knees to his chest, rocking slightly as the cold ground gradually seeped its way into his bones until he spied a movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up to see a deer emerge from the woods. The buck approached cautiously, and came to a halt about ten feet away, gazing at him with dark eyes that seemed to be full of sympathy and concern. 

Rumpelstiltskin stared at the deer, unwilling to frighten it away, glad of even the temporary company of another living creature. It was odd, though, the way it just stood there and watched him.

“I don’t suppose you could find a branch for me to use as a staff?” he finally asked wryly, feeling a bit silly but who was there to hear him? The deer instantly turned and darted away back into the woods, no doubt startled by the sound of his voice. Rumpelstiltskin sighed, and felt a pang of regret over the loss of his company. He couldn’t stay here any longer, though, he’d have to try to get up. He began to try to flex his ankle gingerly, the scar tissue preventing much in the way of movement. A rustling noise made him look up again, and he stared, dumbfounded, as the deer reappeared, walking backwards, dragging a long, fairly straight branch by the means of a much thinner limb still attached to one end clamped between its teeth.

It came all the way up to Rumpelstiltskin this time, dropped the branch, turned around, and looked at him with the same pleased air that his sheepdogs used to exhibit when they knew they had done a good job and were waiting to be praised. 

Feeling like he had stepped into a Disney movie, Rumpelstiltskin took hold of the branch. He half expected it to be brittle and snap when he tested it, but it was strong, a good length and thickness, rough at the top where it had obviously splintered off its parent tree but perfectly suitable for his needs. Gripping it firmly, he got his good foot under him and heaved himself up, flinching from the pain as he was forced to put some weight on his bad ankle. But he was up, and with the impromptu staff to lean upon, he would be able to walk, even if was not fast or far at a time. 

“I’m not sure what just happened, but thank you,” he told the deer. He wondered if it could be enchanted, but without his magic, he couldn’t tell. The buck snorted and edged a bit closer, moving to position itself at his left side. He looked at Rumpelstiltskin and waited. 

Disbelieving, Rumpelstiltskin cautiously rested his free hand on the strong, solid back, felt the heat of the animal through the smooth tan fur. It held steady, and Rumpelstiltskin would have thought that he was having a particularly vivid dream if he hadn’t seen all the strange things that he had in his lifetime. That this was no ordinary deer was evident, but what it was doing on this side of the town line was a mystery. Maybe animals could pass freely back and forth?

“I don’t know who you are,” he addressed the deer, stroking it gently. “But I owe you a debt, and if I can ever repay it, I will. And I will be glad of your company for however far you choose to go with me. There should be cars, eventually, if we follow the road, and hopefully one of them will give me a lift to…well, someplace. Someplace where I can regroup. Because my wife is behind that town line,” he nodded in its direction, “And I’m either going to find a way to get back to her or bring her to me. Because as much as she deserves someone better, I don’t think I can live without her.”

The buck butted him gently with its head, and Rumpelstiltskin scratched behind its ears, feeling more sure than ever that the animal understood him. He straightened his shoulders and shook his hair back away from his face, taking a deep breath.

“All right, let’s try this.” He took a step forward, and then another, the deer keeping pace with him. His ankle throbbed in a way that he knew would once again become horribly familiar, but braced by the branch on one side and the deer on the other, he could walk, as far as he needed to go. 

He cast one last glance over his shoulder, then faced the road, soon settling in to his old uneven stride. Belle was still alive, and still wore his ring upon her finger. Until he knew otherwise, this was not the end. 


End file.
